KJV ORIGINAL
And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
When they received the letter, they took the king's sons and killed all seventy of them. Then they put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The leaders of Samaria killed all seventy of King Ahab's sons and sent their heads to Jehu as proof of their loyalty to him.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred during Jehu's violent purge of Ahab's dynasty around 841 BC. Jehu had been anointed by God to destroy the house of Ahab because of their worship of Baal and persecution of God's prophets. The leaders of Samaria chose to align themselves with Jehu rather than resist him, demonstrating the political instability and brutal nature of ancient Near Eastern power transitions.
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